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A $20,000 ‘Challenge Grant’

October 18, 2011

From Editor Robert Parry: A while back, we approached a foundation with a request for a “matching grant,” a donation that would equal what we could raise from our readers. Last week, the foundation sent us a check for $20,000 with the hope — not a requirement — that our readers would come close to equaling the amount.

Though not technically a “matching grant,” we would still like to show this donor that our readers care enough about our work that they will try to “match” the amount. So, let’s call it a “challenge grant.”

There are four ways you can help us reach this $20,000 goal:

First: You can make a tax-deductible donation by credit card at the Web site or by check to Consortium for Independent Journalism (CIJ); 2200 Wilson Blvd.; Suite 102-231; Arlington VA 22201. Or you can use PayPal (our account is named after our e-mail address “consortnew@aol.com”).

Second: if you’d rather spread out your support in smaller amounts, you can sign up for a monthly donation. (For the purpose of the “challenge grant,” we’ll count a monthly sign-up as 12 times whatever your amount is.)

With contributions of $10 or more a month, you also can qualify for war correspondent Don North’s DVD, “Yesterday’s Enemies” about the lives of former Salvadoran guerrillas. For details, click here. (If you sign up for a monthly donation and want to get Don’s DVD, remember to contact us at consortnew@aol.com.)

Third: As part of reaching our goal, we’ll also count any purchases of our three-book set Lost History, Secrecy & Privilege and Neck Deep for the discount price of $29 (postage included). For details, click here.

Fourth: We are offering, at an even bigger discount, full cartons of Secrecy & Privilege and Neck Deep for only $59. Each carton contains 28 paperbacks, or you can get a mix of half and half, 14 of each. That’s about $2 per book and postage is included for U.S. shipments. For details, click here.

Plus: For tax-deductible donations of $50 or more, you can request as a premium gift a DVD of the 1991 PBS “Frontline” documentary “The Election Held Hostage,” that I co-wrote. It explores whether Republican skullduggery with Iran was a factor in electing Ronald Reagan.

For donations of $75 or more, we will add the two-DVD set of the closed-door congressional debriefing of Israeli intelligence officer Ari Ben-Menashe, describing his role in these historic events.

If you’d prefer, a book instead of a DVD, you can ask for an autographed copy of one of my last three books Lost History, Secrecy & Privilege or Neck Deep as a substitute.

Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press and Newsweek. He founded Consortiumnews.com in 1995 as the Internet’s first investigative magazine. He saw it as a way to combine modern technology and old-fashioned journalism to counter the increasing triviality and timidity of the mainstream U.S. news media.